Palestinian reports say 14-year-old killed by Israeli troops near Nablus
Two other teenagers were reported wounded in Burka, where the Israeli military said troops fired at suspects allegedly preparing to throw stones at Israeli vehicles.
By Hassan Ellis ·
A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli military fire on Tuesday morning, November 10, in Burka, a village near Nablus in the West Bank, according to Palestinian reports. The reports also said two other teenagers from the village, aged 16 and 17, were wounded in the same incident.
The Israel Defense Forces said its troops were carrying out an operation on the outskirts of Burka when they spotted several suspects. According to the military's account, the suspects were preparing to throw stones at Israeli vehicles, and the soldiers opened fire.
Military sources described the troops' deployment as an ambush aimed at suspected stone-throwers. They said the 14-year-old was wearing a mask and was with two other suspects who were allegedly preparing to throw stones. That account attributed the shooting to the soldiers' response to the group's suspected preparations.
The same military sources said the soldiers fired in accordance with their rules of engagement and that hits were identified. The account of the boy's death and the injuries to the two other teenagers came from Palestinian reports, while the circumstances described by the Israeli military focused on the alleged threat to passing Israeli vehicles.
In a separate operation on Monday, Israeli security forces arrested 10 suspected members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Arrabe, a village in the northern West Bank. The operation took place within the Menashe Brigade's area of responsibility and brought together personnel from several Israeli security bodies.
The IDF said those detained were suspected of helping establish terrorist infrastructure and preparing an attack against Israeli civilians in the northern West Bank. It identified the suspects as affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad and said all 10 were subsequently transferred for further questioning.
Troops from the Paratroopers Brigade Reconnaissance Battalion and the Duvdevan undercover counterterrorism unit participated in the arrests alongside Border Police officers. Shin Bet, Israel's security agency, also took part in the operation, which was directed by intelligence provided by the agency.
The arrest teams entered 10 separate locations at the same time to apprehend the suspects, according to the military's description of the raid. The coordinated action in Arrabe preceded Tuesday morning's reported fatal shooting in Burka.
